Month: December 2015

Snow Globe Birthday Card

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Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

Above is a screen shot of Cricut Design Space where I created a Snow Globe Birthday Card. My inspiration is from Pinterest and a website by Designs by Sharon.

Her card had a rectangular back, but I used a circle and the slice tool to cut out the center. Then I used a rectangle and sliced pieces off at an angle to make the base. Then I made a long thin rectangle and attached circles on the ends to make a rounded rectangle. Then I attached the three pieces together for the base.

I cut white circles and used them as templates to cut circles out of plastic so it would be clear for the globe.

I put the sentiments on white rectangles and attached them to the front and inside.

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I used Close To My Heart Whisper cardstock for the card base, White Daisy for the snowman, and Cocoa for the snowman’s arms. I used snowflake stickers from my stash in the globe.

I inserted a Cricut Calligraphy pen in the Cricut Explore to write the sentiment.

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Here is the finished card. It came out even better than I expected. I love that I made this card out of shapes and using the Cricut Design Space tools. There are all kinds of objects you can create with shapes – I’ve seen some really creative things . . .

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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2015 December Daily Week 4

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Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

Wow, another week in December gone – time goes by way toooo fast! Here is the 2015 December Daily Week 4.

Walnut Room/The Nutcracker: I went to the Walnut Room in the Chicago Macy’s for the first time this year with my two daughters and my granddaughter. I took my daughters to see The Nutcracker several times when they were young, and it was AWESOME taking them again as well as my granddaughter (her first time).

The background of the page is from the show’s program. I took several pictures that day, so I layered them in photo pockets to make a “waterfall.”

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Cottage In Winter: This is the first day of winter, and thanks to El Nino, it has been verrrry mild. We had one BIG snowstorm in November, and nothing but flurries since. It was 46 degrees on this day in northeast Indiana – not exactly wintery, lol.

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Zachary with Santa: Here’s Zachary visiting Santa – he was more than a little freaked out this year, but somehow pulled himself together long enough to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas and to put on a half-smile for his picture. What a brave little boy!!

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Annabelle and Liam with Santa: Here are Annabelle and Liam visiting Santa. They are getting so BIG!!

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Our Christmas: We had our Christmas on Christmas Eve because our son (the last one still at home) had to work on Christmas Day. I used a journaling pocket and card to journal about the day.

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Christmas Day iChat’s: On Christmas Day we iChatted with our son and our grandchildren – so I made a collage of the screen shots and pictures I took.

Our oldest son was having a cup of coffee . . .

Zachary is showing us his Despicable Me Fart Gun (he had us all laughing).

Annabelle got a wolf, and Liam got some Star Wars toys. He is showing us a hiding place in one of his toys where he hid some chocolate kisses – ingenious!

I took a picture of our youngest son when he got home from work with our dog Sage.

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Gifts We Received: I used an interactive element from the Claus & Co kit that’s a matchbook. I listed what my husband and I got for/from each other and what we got from each of our kids.

I got a Canon PowerShot camera so I can take better pictures – I’m learning how to use it . . .

What a great week we had!!!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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January 2016 Cocoa Daisy Plan With Me

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Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

Here’s my January 2016 Cocoa Daisy Plan With Me in action. Above is the Month-at-a-Glance and a NEW PAGE for whatever you want – I’m going to use it for my Monthly To Do’s. It has check boxes so you can keep track of what you’ve done as well as what you have to do yet.

Don’t you just love the colors? They’re a warm mix of oranges, reds and yellows in an African/animal pattern.

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Here is my Month-on-two-pages. This page gives me an overview of my month. It’s an easy place to refer to and see what I have coming up. There are touches of pink scattered throughout the kit – here you see it on the flamingos.

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This is also a NEW PAGE – I am going to use it as an overview of my goals for the year.

Setting big and small goals is important for me so I can make sure I’m actually going somewhere rather than staying in one place and treading water – I like to think I make progress somewhere, lol. This year I utilized my planners to keep myself organized and on a schedule.

I’ll be working on my 2016 goals next week – I might blog about it . . . we’ll see . . .

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This is my first week-at-a-glance, which only consists of two days – so I used some of the washi tape to decorate the first five days – that was sooooooo fun! Maybe a little much??? Naaaah . . .

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I like these goal pages at the beginning of each week – another place to reinforce my goals – I was thinking I would make my list of yearly goals on the first goal page and detail some of them on these weekly pages.

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Here is the 1st Week-on-two-pages spread. Again, there were only two days to fill in, so I used stickers and washi tape to decorate the empty space. Fun!!!

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Here is the 2nd Week-on-two-pages spread. I start out filling in birthdays and school dates, hair appointments, doctor/dentist appointments. I used some gold triangle numbers to label the dates. I also used some of the tabs at the top of the page to make it easy to find each week.

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Here is the 3rd Week-on-two-pages spread. Can you tell I’m trying to use all my stuff????

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This is the 4th Week-on-two-pages spread. I love the giraffe. I’m also layering stickers more – an easy way to get a different look.
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And . . . here is the final Week-on-two-pages spread. Decorating the pages is a lot of fun, but honestly, it takes quite a bit of time. I watch YouTube videos to get new ideas – layering the stickers, for example. Sometimes I just let the supplies tell me what to do – sometimes it works out great – sometimes not so much!!!

One of the reasons I get a monthly subscription is to keep up with the trends. Did you know that the Pantone colors for 2016 are Serenity (a light blue) and Rose Quartz (a light pink). I’m looking forward to using these colors . . .

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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December Daily 2015 Week 3

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Here is my December Daily 2015 Week 3 – I’m still doing a page a day – WooHoo!!

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Uncle Jerry: My husband’s uncle is the last surviving brother of five boys (we just lost one of the brothers about a month ago) and we had a get together. There was lots of food, laughter, and a game or two of Tonk (a card game).
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Stockings: When I first got married, I made Christmas stockings and added to them as we added to our family – that would be Ken’s. Then as we added spouses and grandchildren, I bought them. We have quite the collection of stockings now, lol.

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Favorite Quote: I started my first planner last January, and I took a Heidi Swapp class that was really fun and I actually kept up with it. Anywho, I found this quote for the class, and it said exactly what I wanted to say: “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Christmas Card: This is my oldest daughter’s Christmas card – the photo was taken during the one and only snow we’ve had so far this winter . . .

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Shaker Pockets: This was a fun page to create. I used the 2×2 pocket page and put stickers, cards and fused some pockets with my Fuse Tool sealing sequins, snow and snowflakes inside.

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Homeroom: Here are some of my homeroom students (Love Them!!) hamming it up with Photo Booth Props.

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Family Christmas: This is our family’s Christmas party – complete with our daughters, their husbands, three grandchildren, our sons, our future daughter-in-law, three dogs, and two cats (the cats are hiding).

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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January 2016 Cocoa Daisy Personal Day Planner

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Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I have my January 2016 Cocoa Daisy Personal Day Planner kit! Yayyyyyyy!!!

Really . . . I open the package and see the black and white polka dotted tissue paper, the “SMILE. YOU’VE GOT HAPPY MAIL” card, and the “making your daily schedule a little brighter” sticker, and I can’t help but BE happier!!!

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“ENJOY EVERY DAY” – Livin’ The Moments

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So . . . what’s inside?
• 32 double sided daily to do pages in an African red/orange/yellow color scheme
• 1 double sided month tab page
• Month on 2 pages *new!*
• 5 double sided week in review pages
• 5 double sided weekly overview pages
• 1 3×5 Exclusive notepad that says “Every Day Is Another Chance To Start Over”
• 1 5×7 Exclusive planner sticker sheet
• Red faux leather tassel
• Washi tape – black pattern – it kind of looks like an animal’s skin
• 1 sheet elephant stickers – mine are playful and dancing – super cute
• Giraffe OR Rhino clip – I got the Rhino – Love It!!
• Evalicious for Cocoa Daisy Die Cuts
• Dear Lizzy 5th & Frolic Roller Stamp
• Mini Elephant clip

This month’s kit has an African travel theme – African designs – Elephants, Rhinos, Giraffes, Flamingos – the oranges and yellows are very mellow – AND there’s a splash of pink here and there that add a smidgen of softness to the design.

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I got some extras . . . I can’t stand the suspense, aaaaaghhhhhhh . . .

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I also got:
BasicGrey Typeset Alpha Stickers – they are a light tan that will look great with the kit’s colors.
Large cardstock-weight sticker sheet with three different alphabets – again, the colors really complement the kit.

Pebbles Jen Hatfield DIY Washi Tape Strips
Decorative tape strips with gold foil accents. Four 12×6 inch sheets, totaling 36 washi strips.

Pink Paislee Memorandum Stickers – I couldn’t resist the animal designs – can you see the black and white stripes? AWESOME!!

The sticker booklet with gold foil, white & black accents has 183 clear stickers on three sheets.

And the Acetate and Vellum Overlay addon (I’m planning on using these for dashboards):
• American Crafts DIY Shop white numbers on vellum
• Pink Paislee Memorandum Acetate overlay
• American Crafts DIY Shop gold triangles overlay
• Pink Paislee Memorandum Acetate overlay gold clips
I cannot wait to use these in my planner!!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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CTMH Everyday Life Planner

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Hi Guys! Come see the CTMH Everyday Life planner that became available December 1, 2015. It’s a pretty, basic planner . . . It has really pretty colors and is an affordable planner for the beginner or for someone that wants a simple planner that also looks “pretty.”

Planners can be whatever you want them to be – you can use them strictly as an agenda of reminders and dates for the month – or you can use them as a creative outlet and beautify them with stickers . . . and washi . . . and stamps . . . and whatever you feel like doing. It’s YOUR organization tool – make it whatever you want it to be.

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The bundle came with a roller stamp that has all the basic stamps you would need for planning:

To Do
Due Date
Shopping List
Menu
Pay Day
Don’t Forget
No School (my favorite)
Birthday
Party
Vacation
Checklist boxes
Hearts

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The binder has 3 rings, is black and has a gold floral design on the front. I would think you could decorate the binder with the year, or your name, and some people even name their binders (I’ve never done that, but . . . whatever . . . it’s yours).

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It has a clear bookmark that says “Today” with an arrow on it – these are really handy for marking your place inside, and for tearing your washi tape – a pretty cool technique, btw.

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This is the front of the January divider – it has a pretty pink floral design on it.

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There’s a section for each month that includes a month on two pages . . .

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. . . a week on two pages in a horizontal orientation . . .

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. . . and a lined page for notes at the end.

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In the very back is a two-sided folder for holding stickers, pictures, etc. Love the gold foil accents . . .

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And finally, the bundle includes four sheets of planner stickers – essentials when planning, (or so I’ve been told, lol – I may have a few stickers).

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I also got a set of “Picture My Life” journaling cards. It has monthly cards that can be used horizontally or vertically. You can make bookmarks out of these or hole-punch them and put them in the calendar page. There are lined journaling cards for writing out thoughts or adding interest to your pages. Lastly, there are “Birthday” cards that you can use each month to remember these special days.

Like I said, it’s a nice, basic, affordable planner that you can easily use as it is or embellish to your hearts desire . . .

If you’re interested in this planner, check it out at http://jdominique.ctmh.com/. I’m looking forward to trying mine out.

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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Chemistry Birthday Card

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Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

I am making a Chemistry Birthday Card for my daughter. She’s a Biochemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin. She’s very smart and maybe just a little geeky???? I made her a card with a Chemistry theme . . . imagine that . . . Yes . . . there are chemistry birthday cards . . .

I found a card on Pinterest that has beakers and atoms on it – just what I was looking for . . . it has the geekiest joke ever, lol . . .

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So, here are the cut out pieces. I used Close To My Heart cardstock in the following colors:

White Daisy
Eggplant
Paper Fundamentals – Adventure
Paper Fundamentals – Enchantment
Gypsy
Fern
Pear
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Here is the front. I added some green ribbon tied into knots from my stash. I lost the center of the atom, so I added a black rhinestone (this may have happened to me once or twice, lol) . . . that looks better anyway.
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Here’s the punchline . . . a joke that any science geek would love . . .

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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December Daily 2015 Week 2

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Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

Here’s the second week of my December Daily 2015 Week 2. Once I stopped getting so fancy (lol) with my pages, it was a lot more manageable. Luckily, I realized quickly that I don’t have time to do an art project every day. For me, the journaling is more important than the prettification I was trying to do.

HOWEVER, sometimes I just can’t help myself . . . On the above page, I was listing my favorite Christmas movies and thought I’d put a piece of film on the page (created using my AWESOME Cricut Explore) – not a big deal, but then it just looked so bare, lol. I had to put little pics of some of the movies in the spaces – it came out AWESOME!!!! Ya know, sometimes my ideas work out even better than I think they will, haha.

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This page is about the best gifts I’ve ever gotten – there have been several . . .

My date tags were stamped using Close to My Heart’s “Magical Moments” stamp set. I stamped them all ahead of time, so now all I have to do is put them on the pages – an excellent idea as it turns out – do this before you start yours, then you don’t have to create one every day.

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This is my beautiful daughter’s family Christmas card – it is an incredible picture! Especially that little boy in there, lol.

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This is my dog . . . She’s officially a lab/pointer mix, and unofficially has a little pitbull mixed in. She’s the sweetest little girl ever, despite her difficult first year of life with her two previous families. We’re trying to make it up to her – it will take a looooong time – and she has definitely adjusted to the good life!!!! We couldn’t live without her!

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Here are my cats. They’re Bengals and we got them from a rescue organization – they were neglected and unbelievably skinny when we got them. They are loving and lovable characters that entertain us constantly.
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I like to experiment with seasonal drinks and I thought I’d try Cranberry Margaritas this year. Aren’t they so pretty with the cranberries floating on top?

Stay tuned for what I do next week in my December Daily. I want to add a shaker page or shaker pockets next week.
Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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Christmas Photo Booth Props

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Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today! I’m making Christmas Photo Booth Props.

Cricut has a Photo Booth Props cartridge that has some REALLY fun props you can make for your photo shoots. I made some for a holiday party at my house last week. They are super easy to cut and assemble!

We do a gift exchange and that is what the “Kids,” “Boys,” and “Girls” props are for.

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My husband thought it would be funny to put them on the tree – haha, honey – although, I actually agreed because we knew exactly where they were (an accomplishment when you’re preparing for a party), and everyone saw them and used them in some of their photos.

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Here’s a closeup.

I used Close To My Heart White Daisy and Ruby cardstock.

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I made mini props to put in my December Daily book. Aren’t they so cuuuute?

There are a lot of images to choose from on this cartridge. I did some for the 4th of July (an earlier post) and they came out great as well.

Let me know if you’ve ever made photo booth props and what occasion you made them for – I would love to see what you did!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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Queen Mary Tea Room

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Hi Guys! Come on in and see what I’m doing today!

When my daughter lived in Seattle, WA, we found the adorable Queen Mary Tea Room. Whenever I visited, we went there and I was hooked for life. I’ve always been a tea drinker rather than coffee – however, I do have a caramel macchiato occasionally (for the caffeine . . . okay, they taste realllly good, too).

So . . . every Christmas, I order Queen Mary’s Holiday Harvest tea – it is a spice tea and by far my favorite tea . . . EVER!

See how pretty the package looked when I opened the box, sighhhhh . . . . . . .

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This is a bookmark that is included in every order. I love it when new studies come out proclaiming the benefits of drinking tea regularly. According to these studies, I am super healthy because I drink a pot of tea every day – all year long – even in the summer – it’s how I start my day . . . put a kettle of water on . . . brew for 3 or 4 minutes . . . aaaaaaaahhhh . . . calmness reigns . . .

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The Holiday Harvest Tea description on their website is: “infused with orange slices, cardamom pods, pink peppercorn, clove, cinnamon, coriander and apple pieces. Rudolph’s favorite.”

Now check out their Orange Spice Tea description: “This rich black tea is blended with succulent orange slices, tart apple pieces, cardamom pods, coriander, pink peppercorn, clove and a touch of cinnamon.”

I . . . guess . . . the Holiday Harvest Tea is the same as their Orange Spice Tea . . . Too funny!!!

On the package, the ingredients are listed as: “Queen selected black tea, apple pieces, cinnamon bits, coriander, cardamom pods, orange slices, pink peppercorns, cloves and vanilla bean.  Contains caffeine.”
Hmm . . . vanilla bean . . .
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I also purchased two of their other holiday teas.
I got Creme Brûlée, which is “inspired by the Queen Mary Tea Room’s famous Burnt Cream Dessert, this tea features a buttery sweet flavor that has no parallel.”
Its ingredients are listed as: “Queen selected Ceylon and Chinese black tea, marigold flowers, vanilla and custard flavoring. Contains caffeine.”
It is reallllllly good!!!!
I also got Christmas Chai, which is a “warm blend of chai spices with cinnamon, peppercorn and thyme. As cozy as it is fragrant, this black tea will bring delight to any chai lover.”
Its ingredients are listed as: “Queen selected Chinese black tea, cloves, citrus peel, thyme and pink peppercorns. Contains caffeine. “
This tea is good with cream and sugar added, yummy!

I love that they put “Queen” in their descriptions . . .

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So . . . at the bottom of the box is all this pretty, pretty shredded paper mixed with some purple metallic strips. I HAD to show you how lovely it is!!

Hey, if you’d like to see some of my other projects, check out my Instagram and Pinterest board, and I would LOVE it if you would follow me.

As always, I’m Livin’ the Moments . . .

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